The Light of Christ

The Good Shepherd

“What is man that You are mindful of him, And the son of man that You visit him?”

(Psalm 8:4 – NKJV)

Reflection:

At the level of the human mind, and in view of the vastness and mystery of the universe, it seems ludicrous that the God of creation should be bothered with mere human beings. And yet the revelation of that same God, and the witness of the Christ and the Spirit, is that He is very concerned and devoted to us.

Another translation has the verse as follows,

“What are mortals, that you should be mindful of them? Mere human beings, that you should seek them out?”

God has done just that – He has visited us and sought us out. After the separation brought about by sin God went looking for the man and woman in the Garden of Eden. From that moment onwards the testimony of Scripture is one of God seeking out men and women through whom He would reach out to humankind to bring them into His saving love and grace. It is underlined in the references that God makes to Himself as the Shepherd and His people as His flock. David grasped it beautifully in his inspired Psalm 23, The Lord is my Shepherd. Jesus continued when He referred to Himself as the Good Shepherd and painted a picture of His ministry in the parable of the Lost Sheep. This searching and caring on the part of God finds its pinnacle in the salvation brought about through the death and resurrection of Jesus – the Son who came to seek and find and save us – and the transforming personal gift of the Holy Spirit.

For each one of us reading this the message that God wishes us to receive is clear. He is ‘mindful’ – His mind is full – of us, and He does ‘seek’ us and ‘visit’ us. How clear Jesus makes it with His description of Himself as the One who stands at the door of our lives and knocks. (Revelation 3:20)

He wishes to draw closer to each one of us today, to be more real to us, to be more intimately involved in our lives and free to pour more of His love into our hearts through the liberating presence of the Holy Spirit within us.

God has sought you out for a closer visit today.

Response:

Talk to Him as One who is with you and not at a distance, Try to be more aware of Him. Pause frequently and be still in His presence.

Prayer:

Lord You have sought me and found me. I turn into Your presence and welcome You. Amen.